Could YOU have the binge drinking gene? Scientists discover some animals are wired to prefer the taste of alcohol to water
- Mice with the gene mutation much preferred taste of alcohol to water
- Those with it relied on alcohol for 85 per cent of their daily fluid intake
- But animals with a normal version of the protein had no interest in alcohol
- Is hoped the findings could help develop new treatments for alcohol abuse
It's long been known that a penchant for alcohol may be in the genes, and British scientists say they may now be a step closer to understanding why.
They have found that a faulty gene may cause binge drinking - and that mice with the mutation overwhelmingly prefer the taste of alcohol to water.
In fact, those with the faulty gene relied on alcohol to provide them with almost 85 per cent of their daily fluid intake.
Genetic: Scientists have found that a faulty gene may cause binge drinking - and those with it may overwhelmingly prefer the taste of alcohol to water
Now the researchers are anxious to find out whether the same phenomenon applies in humans, as it would help develop new treatments for chronic alcohol abuse.
The gene was identified by introducing subtle changes into the DNA of the mice and looking for any that altered their preference for alcohol.
Lab animals with the normal version of the protein - known as Gabrb1 - showed no interest in alcohol.
They drank little or none of the wine-strength diluted alcohol when also offered a free choice between it and water.
But mice carrying the
mutation were willing to work hard to obtain the alcoholic drink by
pushing a lever and, unlike their normal counterparts, continued to do
so even over long periods.
Problem: Mice with the binge drinking relied on alcohol to provide them with almost 85 per cent of their daily fluid intake
They would voluntarily consume sufficient alcohol in an hour to become intoxicated and even have difficulty in coordinating their movements.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, could help identify people most at risk of developing an alcohol addiction at an early age.
Lead researcher Dr Quentin Anstee, of Newcastle University, said: 'It is amazing to think a small change in the code for just one gene can have such profound effects on complex behaviours like alcohol consumption.
But animals with the normal version of the protein showed no interest in alcohol
'We are continuing our work to
establish whether the gene has a similar influence in humans, though we
know in people that alcoholism is much more complicated as environmental
factors come into play.
'But there is the real potential for this to guide development of better treatments for alcoholism in the future.'
The variant of Gabrb1 triggers chemicals known as GABA and GABAA that control feelings of pleasure and reward in the brain.
Dr Anstee said: 'The mutation is altering its structure and creating spontaneous electrical activity in the brain in this pleasure zone, the nucleus accumbens.
'As the electrical signal from these receptors increases, so does the desire to drink to such an extent that mice will actually work to get the alcohol, for much longer than we would have expected.'
Professor Howard Thomas, of Imperial College London, said: 'We know from previous human studies the GABA system is involved in controlling alcohol intake.
'Our studies in mice show a particular subunit of GABAA receptor has a significant effect and most importantly the existence of these mice has allowed our collaborative group to investigate the mechanism involved. This is important when we come to try to modify this process first in mice and then in man.'